Hardik Pandya Banned for IPL 2025 Opener Against CSK – Here’s Why
Hardik Pandya will miss the opening match against Chennai Super Kings.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will start on March 22. The first match will be between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). This will be an exciting match.
On the second day, Mumbai Indians (MI) will face Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This is called the “El Clasico” of IPL because both teams are very strong. But MI has some problems before the match. Their fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, is not fully fit. Also, their captain, Hardik Pandya, will not play in the first match.
Why Hardik Pandya Will Miss the First Match
In IPL 2024, Hardik Pandya was fined ₹30 lakh for slow over-rate in MI’s last league match against Lucknow Super Giants. This was his third offence in the season. According to IPL rules, if a captain does this three times, he gets banned for the next match.
Since MI did not reach the playoffs in 2024, the ban was moved to IPL 2025. So, Hardik will miss MI’s first match against CSK.
In his absence, MI will need a new captain for this game. Suryakumar Yadav is the first choice. Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah are also options to lead the team.
MI Wants to Do Better in IPL 2025
Mumbai Indians had a bad season in 2024. They won only 4 matches and finished last on the points table. Hardik Pandya was the new captain, but the team could not play well together.
Now, MI will try to play better and win more matches in IPL 2025. Fans are excited to see if they can improve.
